Watkins Glen: Justin Allgaier preview

* This Week's Verizon Dodge ... Justin Allgaier will pilot Penske Racing
chassis PRS-023 in Saturday afternoon's Zippo 200 at The Glen. The 2009
NASCAR Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year debuted this Verizon Dodge
at Road America in June, where...

* This Week's Verizon Dodge ... Justin Allgaier will pilot Penske Racing
chassis PRS-023 in Saturday afternoon's Zippo 200 at The Glen. The 2009
NASCAR Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year debuted this Verizon Dodge
at Road America in June, where he recorded a 35th-place finish after
suffering a part failure on the first lap of the event.

* Get to the Points ... Allgaier ranks fourth in the NASCAR Nationwide
Series championship point standings heading into this weekend's event at
Watkins Glen International. He trails current point-leader and Penske
Racing teammate Brad Keselowski by 516 points, and third-place contender
Kyle Busch by 43 points.

* Best in Class ... Allgaier's fourth-place position in the point
standings is best among full-time, Nationwide Series-only drivers.
Allgaier leads fellow Nationwide-only driver Steve Wallace, currently
ranked seventh, by 345 points.

* Last Time Out ... Allgaier overcame a practice incident that saw
him go to a backup car to qualify, and finish eighth in last Saturday
night's Nationwide Series race at Iowa Speedway.

* Meet the Driver ... Fans can meet Allgaier on Friday, August 6 from
12:30 -- 1 p.m. EDT at the Penske Racing souvenir trailer, located in
the midway at Watkins Glen International. Later that afternoon, he will
sign for fans at the Verizon Wireless store located at 830 County Road
Route 64 in Elmira, N.Y. from 6 -- 7 p.m.

* Welcome Aboard ... In an effort to put the strongest over-the-wall
team behind Allgaier for the second half of the season, three members of
the No. 2 Cup Series pit crew have joined the Verizon team. Front-tire
changer Jay Hackney, jack man Ray Gallahan and rear-tire changer Travis
Johnson start their Saturday work this weekend at Watkins Glen.

* Welcome Home, Chad ... Chad Walter, crew chief of the No. 12 Verizon
Dodge, hails from Albion, N.Y., located approximately 120 miles
northwest of Watkins Glen International. Walter, who joined Penske
Racing in 2008, is a three-time NASCAR Nationwide Series winning crew
chief. The 39-year-old is a 1993 graduate of Cornell University in
Ithaca, N.Y.

"Watkins Glen is a track that I've really enjoyed since the first time
I laid eyes on it. It's a very cool track with a lot of history behind
it. It's one of the tracks that the oval drivers seem to run well at, as
opposed to some of the other more technical road courses. It certainly
has its technical spots, but it's more high speed and I think that suits
the oval guys a little better. We struggled in this race last year, but
it was my first road race in a Nationwide car, so I didn't really know
what to expect. Heading into this race, I feel like I've got a much
better understanding of road racing, and how to run with the best of
them."

Crew chief Chad Walter on Watkins Glen International

"I couldn't be more excited to head to Watkins Glen this weekend. It's
my home track, so it's always great to see family and friends that
I don't get to see very often. Watkins Glen is an all-encompassing
track. It takes a little bit of everything to be successful there.
Aerodynamics, horsepower, braking and suspension all play a very
important part, probably more at The Glen than anywhere else. Justin
is becoming a better road racer with the experience that he's gained
running these races. Some of the greatest road course racers enter this
race, so he'll have an opportunity not only to race those guys, but to
learn from them as well."